Project Summary for Reconsidering the Textbook, a workshop
For decades, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) textbooks have been
the means by which factual knowledge has been both organized and distributed to students.
Textbooks serve to gather a body of knowledge and organize it such that they function both as
a mechanism for initial learning and as a reference for the future. The peer-review process vets
information in texts (a good thing in most cases) while the time lag from writing to publication
tends to date material in rapidly evolving fields (a drawback).
Textbooks and their generally linear style of presentation would appear to stand in contrast to
advances in pedagogy strongly supported by educational research. Pertinent questions abound.
How does one reconcile “just in time teaching” or inquiry-centered instruction with
assignments in a text book to be read before coming to class? How are this country’s most
effective faculty using textbooks? Or, have such faculty adopted other resource materials as
learning catalysts? What are the best practices for integrating current texts with modern
pedagogical approaches to create a learning environment that is effective for as many students
as possible? Can a new generation of textbooks be written to encourage active learning?
We seek NSF support for a two-day workshop in Washington, DC to address these and other
related questions. The core of this workshop will be the 35 DTS (Distinguished Teaching
Scholar) awardees and their invited guests (CAREER awardees either in the DTS scholar’s
field or at their institution). We also plan to include NSF program managers from both
education and research directorates as well as representatives of publishing houses and
professional societies. The workshop will be held during summer 2006. There will be preworkshop and post-workshop activities to build a community of scholars and to gather
examples of best practices.
Broader Impact – Our goal is to catalyze a new way of thinking about textbooks as both a
resource and a catalyst for change. Participant group selection was be done to maximize
broader impact by including a broad cross section of disciplines and expertise. DTS awardees
are generally scientists at mid- to late- career position, influential, experienced, and likely to be
either current or future authors of textbooks. The experience and influence of the DTS
awardees will be invaluable for making a broader impact. CAREER awardees are promising
young scientists who are actively thinking about and engaging in the blending of research and
education. We will strive for a workshop community that will both influence and mentor
CAREER awardees. By including NSF representatives from both the research and education
directorates, we seek to bridge between diverse constituencies. Dissemination is key. Out of
the workshop will come a published report, a series of technical sessions at different
disciplinary society meetings, articles in disciplinary newsletters, and a web site hosted within a
very popular educational resource portal already supported by NSF, serc.carleton.edu.
Intellectual Merit – Despite recent advances in educational technologies, the textbook remains
the central tool by which courses are structured and content is organized in the STEM
classroom. Examining how to best use existing texts to catalyze student learning and how to
best shape new texts are important pedagogical issues at the core of undergraduate education
across all STEM disciplines. This workshop will bring together experts from a variety of
STEM disciplines to identify best practices for integrating currently available textbooks with
active learning while looking to a future where texts are designed to support student inquiry.